My buddy killed our neighbors dog, help!

[missSasha]

I have a 5 yr old (fixed) male Rotty. Had him since he was 6 wks. Everybody loves him, he loves people, has no aggessive bone in his body. Has never has had a problem with other kids, cats or dogs no matter their size. We also have a cat 5 yrs old, who we got at the same time. Our neighbor 2 yrs ago got a Chihuahua who barks all the time at everything, encluding our Rotty. The little thing came into the yard lots of times, my dog did nothing, but still the same I would always bring him in, call the neighbor and she would get him. Well, the other night their dog got out of their yard & my dog supposedly left our yard. The next thing my neighbor saw was our dog had him in his mouth shaking him. I never saw this. The 1st thing I saw was him bringing the dog in his month to the back door to be let in. I YELLED, "DROP, LET GO", in which he did immediately."GET ON YOUR BED" in which he did immediately. The little dog died in my arms a couple mins later. What do I make of this behavor? Was he playing, just got fed up with the barking or did a aggressive behavor emerge. I have felt just terrible and concerned every since this happened. The neighbors have been understanding and said both dogs were in the wrong spot at the wrong time, still I am worried. HELP! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[samanthac]

You need to read this thread. Read the whole thing. Take the advice in it seriously as you are in very much the same situation.

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/sho...kle+and+killed

Find out the laws in your area. I know here in PA any killing of a domestic animal, dog or cat, by a dog is an automatic death sentence if it is reported. We have a very strict but non-breed specific dangerous dog law here.

I am very sorry that this happened to you. Please keep us up to date.

[Sharon Marples]

I would suggest that if you plan on getting another puppy, that you have a fenced in yard for it, or at least a kennel run that you can put it in when it is left outside. I don't want to rant at you, but your dog should never have been outside in an unfenced yard without a leash or flexi on.

I'm so sorry for what happened, you are a very lucky person to have such understanding neighbors. Many would have reported your dog and it might have subjected your dog to being put to sleep. This is a lesson learned, the hard way.

Please let us know what happens and as samanthac stated, find out the laws in your state just in case your neighbors have a change of mind and report your dog. We all hope that does not happen.

Sharon

[jayneliz]

I have seen this scenario on RDN a couple times before...

You'll undoubtedly get many responses, some easy to swallow and some not so easily digested.

This all happened in your yard? How did neighbor dog get in? Is the yard not fenced? Is your dog permitted outside unsupervised?

We, as Rottweiler owners, have to accept the fact that we own DOGS. They aren't cutesy cuddle bunnies. They are animals, with drives, instincts and the ability and strength to cause some serious damage to other people, animals, etc. We must be responsible pet owners, ensuring that our dogs are not unsupervised, or allowed free roam. We're often at a special disadvantage because our dogs are Rottweilers, a breed that many people have misconceptions about. Despite the fact this all happened in YOUR yard, the neighbor still thinks your dog was "In the wrong place?" Where's THAT logic come from?

Reading a dog standing in front of me can be difficult, reading one from a few paragraphs is not possible. I don't know with any degree of certainty why your dog behaved in this manner without actually having been there to witness it. Personally, I wouldn't put a lot of stock into replies that suggest much otherwise without more detailed information.

I would, however, suggest that in the immediate future, you secure your dog, so that he stays in your yard, and others cannot gain access. You now know what your dog is capable of. It rests on your shoulders to ensure an attack doesn't occur again.

In the interim, you have my sincere sympathy. It's not a fun day when you realize what your dog can do, nor is it pleasurable to have a dog die in your arms. I am truly sorry you've experienced this, and can only offer suggestions on what to do in the future to prevent it from happening again.

[missSasha]

I never expected such a quick response, since this was my 1st experience on this site. Thank you very much. I only wish there was a way to know what kind of attack it was, or if it was rough play. We'll never know for sure.
Their dog squeezes out between their fence all the time and goes into other yards or onto the golf course behind our homes. Mine has NEVER left his yard because of the training he has had with our electric fence. We did remove his transmitter however a year ago. He could have left the yard but never has. When we are not home, he's in his pen. All our neighbors love him because he's so trained and the ones we spoke to so far really belive it was NOT his fault and that the little one that does all the barking got out and probably went after him. My boy has been in remorse for several days now. He will not even eat without me telling him its OK several times. He seems to need permission to do everything. I don't want him to feel this way for ever and hope he gets back to his old self.
Thanks again everyone.

[sparklemom]

missSasha, your dog is acting that way because he is reading your feelings. He can tell you are upset with him, that is why he is upset himself. I can almost guarantee you he isn't feeling remorse.

If you read the other thread about my dog Sparkle, you'll know that I've just been through this. The two most important things I learned are 1) ALWAYS have control of your dog. If he isn't inside or in a securely fenced area, he should be on a leash. 2) a dog is a dog, no matter how much we treat them like little furry people. You can't blame your dog for doing what he did, nor can you try to figure it out. He is a dog, something caught his eye, he went for it. It's not his fault.

I went through a period where I could barely look at Sparkle. I felt like I was living with a strange, wild animal. I didn't want to take her anywhere or do any of our regular stuff. But eventually you get over it. You realize that it's still the same dog that loves you very much and didn't mean to do anything "bad".

[poohbearsmom]

I only wish there was a way to know what kind of attack it was, or if it was rough play. We'll never know for sure.

I'll take it to the bank it wasn't PLAY, or the chihuaha would be sipping an umbrella drink right now.

Your dog went after and attacked and killed another dog. PERIOD.

You need adequate fencing to keep your dog contained. PERIOD.

You need to not allow your dog free roam of the neighborhood. PERIOD.

Dogs will be dogs. They possess qualities like prey drive. They do not feel bad about chasing down and killing other animals. Not for one little bitty minute. The best help you can give your dog is the realization that your dog does not possess human thought processes, they do not feel guilt, remorse, revenge or anything remotely like these human feelings. Protect your dog from being put into this position ever again, and that will help your dog.

Too many dog owners overlook the responsibility that goes along with dog ownership. What IF that chihuahua had been a toddler?

Food for thought.

[Carina43]

Originally posted by poohbearsmom
What IF that chihuahua had been a toddler?

Food for thought.

Definitely! I agree with every word.
I have a dog who has kiilled (while on 20' leash with me) a rabbit and a possum. He's also killed a possum in the yard - at least he was out there and then I found possum parts lying around....

I am SO careful with Dutch - Elisabeth's point is a really good one. I watched him chomp two animals to death, and I don't doubt for one minute that he would do the same to a small dog, a strange cat, or - God forbid - a child. He's a really good dog, but like everyone else says, they are dogs with ancient instincts to hunt and kill, and eliminate trespassers, and those instincts can emerge in the right conditions. What your dog did wasn't play, I assure you.

I'm really sorry you went through this - I would feel dreadful too.
:( It is good that your neighbors are understanding...perhaps they have learned a sad lesson about letting their dog run around loose too.

[Beckysmom]

You definitely need a form of fence that is more real and solid than a transmitter type electric fence.

Even then there could be difficulties with a dog the size of a chihuahua that can probably squirm through little holes. Maybe it is a lesson for all of us that something more than just calling a neighbor to say "your dog is here again" is needed. It seems unneighborly--yet if eventually there is a problem it is our rotties that will get blamed.

I wonder how such a call could be phrased not to sound awful oneself, and yet to get a neighbor to get adequate control of the other dog? While, of course, also having better fencing oneself.

[Judi W]

Well, I don't think it is a matter of blaming the Rottweiler - it did kill the dog, he was carrying it in his mouth. You can't control what your neighbors do, You can control how you care for your own animals. A piece of wire in the ground is not a fence. The little dog did not need to scale a fence or dig a tunnel, he just had to be there. No matter how well you think your dog is trained, it should be behind a physical barrier. What kind of "feedback" should be necessary to realize that you don't have your dog in a fenced yard? The question puzzles me immensily. An electronic fence doesn't keep other dogs or people out -and if you take the collar off the dog, it doesn't even have any slight deterance as to keeping your dog in. The truth is a little dog is dead. I'm sure "everybody" doesn't love this sweet Rottweiler any more. The only feedback I can think of I'm sure you realized yourself - hey, if I'm going to keep a big dog, I need to put up a fence or keep my dog on a leash.

[Mick Trainer]

Originally posted by poohbearsmom
What IF that chihuahua had been a toddler?

Food for thought.

I know that this is not really what Poohbearsmom was talking about (I believe she was talking about that one must be responsible enough to keep their dog confined too their property) but please understand that aggression towards another dog or a small prey type animal is on no way related to aggression towards a human.

Some dogs kill other animals everyday and are still the same loving family member they were when the left for the day.

Mick.

[Beckysmom]

No, that electronic type fencing is clearly not sufficient. No arguments there.

But the description was that the dog who is dead squeezes out of its own fence. If it can squeeze out of the one fence i would think it would be able to squeeze into a yard that had what might normally seem to be an adequate fence. In which case it could still have been caught and killed by the rottie potentially.

It also brought to mind a memory (that had no sad end) of a large childhood dog who used to entice the neighbors little tiny fluffball to squeeze through a hole under the fence (our dog dug it just big enuf for the other dog) and then happily chase the little dog round and round the back yard.

I can shove a giant kong through the bottom corner gaps in my dog's kennel. Kong is probably larger than a chihuahua's head. not that I can imagine a chihuahua trying to get into B's kennel with him... If it did it is probably retarded mentally and could use being culled anyway.

[Judi W]

Well, I did have a neighbor dog (lab) keep trying to dig into my yard along the alley (dumb dog) so I collected some prodigiously heavy rocks and lined the entire bottom of the fence. They were much too heavy to be dislodged by pawing at them and stacked several high. Done.

[poohbearsmom]

Mick... ;) Thanks for bringing my senses about me... :)

However, I do think the deal is, this is yet another case of someone taking on the responsibility of owning a large, powerful dog, and not taking seriously the gravity of their responsibility.

The dog may be somewhat trained (it outed the chihuahua, didn't it?), but the fact is, the owner couldn't have been supervising this offlead dog very carefully, or this whole episode could have been avoided. Training goes out the window, if you're not there to give the command, doesn't it? I certainly can't see the dog thinking, "Ok, the chihuahua's over there, but mom wouldn't like it very much if I ran over and took a chomp, so I'll just go in the house like a good dog."

I think we humans tend to put a little too much trust in our canine companions, and many of us just don't even take into account that behavior like this COULD or WOULD occur if given the chance. Then, when something like this happens, they wonder if their dog was PLAYING too rough. They wonder this because they can't fathom that "Fluffy" is actually a dog, and not a furry couch ornament.

The dog was being a DOG. It's up to us humans to have our dogs under control. This person asks for HELP. Help WHAT? Building a fence?

Breeds like ours don't stand a chance of surviving this world if people don't get on the ball and get responsible about how they deal with these animals.

I'm sorry this incident happened. It stinks for everyone involved. The chihuahua owner is just as much at fault, I feel, as her dog was loose as well. Bottom line, it was the rottweiler that killed, not the chihuahua.

Perhaps others will read about things like this, take their responsibilities a little more seriously, and the loss of the chihuahua was not in vain....

Off my soapbox now,

[Carina43]

Originally posted by Mick Trainer
aggression towards another dog or a small prey type animal is on no way related to aggression towards a human.

OK - now I'm curious about this. While a dog who is aggressive towards small prey type animals, including small dogs might be perfectly mannerly and good with large humans, wouldn't small fast moving toddlers be more of a "prey" animal than an adult human?

I know if Dutch sees kids running and shrieking in a playground, his body posture sure indicates that were he off leash, he would give chase and then I don't know what-all. He's not like this when he sees adult joggers or cyclists.

I'm just guessing that little bitty kids might trigger that chase and bite instinct too, am I wrong? This is a dog I acquired as an adult so I have no clue how steady he is with small children.

I know I'm piggybacking a question of mine onto the OPs thread, but I think it's related...